Am I the only one that thinks that the budget is good?!

[isitactuallybadthough]

NC’d for obvious reasons.

I mean it seems that they’re trying to help the working class?

I am not on benefits. I’m also not lucky enough to live in a property worth over £2,000,000. But surely the worst off in society will be better off under this? With the energy bill cut and two child benefit scrap? Also books for libraries, national wage increases. I do understand people feeling frustrated at the pension/ISA parts, that will probably affect DH and I but overall I’m pleased as the worst off will be slightly less worse off?

I wish Labour would be braver in taxing extreme wealth and also with second homes and landlords (I am one myself) especially landlords that have multiple properties

They are in a position to do this with the majority they have

Its disappointing that they are not

I agree too.

Could not agree more. But feels like a minority view - on the threads here, at least.

Take comfort from the fact these backbenchers will most likely lose their seats anyway and even if they don’t they’ll be in opposition.

Whilst not entitled to it, LA’s can and do pay the equivalent of fostering allowances and associated benefits in these situations. It’s cheaper than what the LA’s would have to pay for a foster or care placement. The problem is most people don’t get proper legal advice when going through the process. 😓 What I don’t agree with is when you have some family members who request allowances for things like birthday and Christmas presents because they’re taking on relatives kids.

@RareJoker Assume you are working? Does what you bring in have an impact on this benefits figure?

We dont know what the OPs mothers state pension is as she won't be on the New State Pension she will be on the old. Depending on her circumstances and whether she was ever contracted out during her working life she could be receiving up to around £386 per week.

PPs mother won't be on new state pension as she reached pension age before it came in. She will be on the old state pension and depending on whether she was ever contacted out could be receiving up to £386 a week in state pension payments.
Theold pension basic is £176 a week and the max SERPs is around £222 a week

Yes I was kind of intending to make that point. Like I said to meet the cost of DB some years my employer has had to put 50% of my salary in as their contribution. The amounts that go in for DB pensions, particularly years with large pay rises are huge.

I agree the care sector should be a National Care Service, because profit has no place in care; but even if the private care homes for profit were put back under local authorities tomorrow, they still wouldn’t be funded for increases in careworkers’ NMW, by central government. The money would have to be found by cutting non-statutory services or increasing council tax.

DD lives in a care home, run by a charity. There are no self funders. The last budget increased their staff costs by about £1 million. I know the total number of staff is 1,000 but I am not sure how many are careworkers on the NMW, but say it’s 600

600 x 50p per hour x 40 hours per week x 52 weeks of the year= £624,000 pa increase in costs.

Then, there will be other costs dependent on pay, such as employers’ pension contributions and national insurance? As pp have said, team leaders/house managers on slightly more than the careworkers won’t be happy to see their staff, earning the same as them. They will expect to be paid a bit more, to maintain the differential for more responsibilities.

Local authorities and ICBs are unlikely ime, to agree to the necessary uplift in fees.

I've been looking more around it, and the birth rates were never impacted by them limiting the amount you could claim for. So there would unlikely be a big jump then anyway.

This is the reason I consider this to be an ill-thought out budget. It’s supposed to address cost of living but dragging people at the lower end of the income bracket is placing people into poverty.

I think it’s weighing up what you get on both sides.
So say you are £5k over threshold for higher rate tax and you put that money into a pension. Even with the changes in the recent budget £4940 would go into your pension pot. If you take the money you get £2,900 now so you might prefer foregoing it now to save more for retirement.

Alternatively you could take 5 weeks of summer holidays as unpaid leave to bring you below £50k. Again you forego £2,900 now but you get time with your kids and can maybe do a project you’d otherwise have paid someone else to do. If you have 2 kids half that money you don’t earn could easily have gone on clubs. If you also managed something like painting/decorating a decent sized room then very quickly you’d be no worse off financially than if you’d gone to work and you’ll have had a 5 week break.

Even with no kids and no jobs to do if work allows then it might be taking time off at a cheap time of year for holidays allows you to have a nicer life overall. That recuperation time might be more valuable than the money.

A lot of this would hold true regardless of the tax rate but I think knowing you are about to jump into a higher band prompts people to think about it

@LemaxObsessive how come if she’s under the personal tax allowance ? And that age with that low a private pension she would be - under personal allowance and why isn’t she entitled to pension credit? Money stashed away possibly that she hasn’t mentioned earning interest ? Those figures just don’t add up - sorry to sound harsh but that doesn’t sound right at all - I’m a bit cynical these days because over on the elderly parents board there are a load of people whose parents plead poverty and often turns out they have significant sums stashed but just don’t want to use it - not saying that’s the case but if she hadn’t then I would definitely look at why she needs to pay tax at all

ah i see others have said as much

Yes over all im pleased. Its hard to please everyone but after 14 Tory years of total disaster and the lies pedalled about Brexit its the best we could hope for

I believe there's quite a lot of research that lifting the 2 child cap will lift quite a lot of children out of poverty.

https://www.lse.ac.uk/news/employment-alone-wont-turn-the-tide-on-child-poverty-new-analysis-warns

I believe it's also one of the interventions that costs the least.

Yes I agree

For me they have yet again broken promises. The freeze on tax threshold will affect us including my soon to be 18 year old and the same for ISA. I am annoyed at being charged extra NI on my pension contributions which are set where is the incentive to save for retirement so yet again I Pay more. The child benefit cap being lifted doesn’t do anything overall as it is not means tested so will not target the poorest in society. They haven’t gone for targeting the super wealthy but us middle earners that are squeezed every time.

I voted labour but I have not seen anything in the party so far that seems to live up to their promises on the NHS which as someone who works hard in the NHS is frustrating and demoralising

OP I agree. Not especially ambitious, but she couldn't afford another Liz Truss debacle-we're still all paying extra for that!

I've heard a lot of "benefits scroungers" type comments but VERY little recognition that the UK government borrowed around £56bn over 3 years to subsidise energy costs at the peak of the (Russia invading Ukraine) energy rises.

That money subsidised every residential user in the country, for every kWh used. Which means it disproportionately subsidised the well off with large houses (multiple properties, even).

Broad brush, it works out the country borrowed to subsidise the value of around one year's worth of energy bills.

So I find it hard to swallow anyone spending £4k, £6k, £10k a year on energy whinging about welfare state gone mad, when they've happily had that paid off with it just tacked onto the tax burden for EVERYONE...

Oh, and what sort of magic wand are Reform planning to wave, then? Do enlighten us.

It is not heartless. It is the truth unfortunately. They need to get a grip on benefits.

Because those in the media who want to control the narrative are keen to have a 'feckless labour' overview so the right wingers who will happily gut the country of it's core services for profit can sweep in at the next election.

Despite the fact it's a pretty moderate budget that's been well received by 'the markets'. If anything the NI on pension is a misjudgment compared to loading more onto businesses & asset owners who should still be carrying more.

Until the government make any working person, better off than someone on benefits the work shy will proliferate, and y not.
I worked all my life and am fed up with spongers and the government giving away billions of our money that is needed here.
Can't afford children, don't keep having them

No, you're not 😀

In this case the figures are incorrect. And the poster was going to check this with her mum but has not come back to post.

There should be no tax payable on an income of 12K which is stated as this is within personal tax free allowance.